Share this Page

Draw prolongs Villa, Sunderland struggles

Date published: Thursday 1st January 1970 12:00

Neither team has shown too much so far to suggest significant improvement on last season’s struggles towards the bottom of the Barclays Premier league but on this showing Villa may just have enough as an attacking force to survive.
Sunderland, on the other hand, perhaps not so. With their problems lying at the opposite end of the pitch, they will not keep many clean sheets this season.
Dick Advocaat’s team led through Yann M’Vila’s superb free-kick but a Sinclair double before half-time turned the game on its head.
However, Villa could not hold on to the lead either and Jeremain Lens levelled for Sunderland early in the second half.
Sherwood’s side pushed for a winning goal and had a couple of penalty shouts turned down but it ended all square.
Sunderland went ahead after eight minutes through M’Vila’s free-kick. His lovely curling shot around the Villa wall left Brad Guzan, diving at full stretch, with no chance.
But the lead lasted just three minutes. Lee Cattermole clumsily leant over the top of Sinclair and referee Robert Madley pointed to the penalty spot.
Sinclair took the spot-kick himself and tucked the ball away into the left-hand side of the net, sending Costel Pantilimon the wrong way.
Villa were now in the ascendancy and Sinclair went close again before Ashley Westwood’s first-time shot from the right side of the area flew just wide.
Carlos Sanchez perhaps should have done better than guide his far-post shot over the crossbar when Leandro Bacuna’s cross from the left evaded everyone in the box and fell at the feet of the Colombia international.
Rudy Gestede, a handful for the Sunderland defenders throughout, then showed good strength with his back to goal to turn Billy Jones and get a shot away which Pantilimon held.
Villa made their pressure pay four minutes before half-time when Idrissa Gueye set Jordan Amavi free down the left and Sinclair got between two defenders inside the six-yard box to divert his low cross into the roof of the net.
Whatever Advocaat said to his players at the break it got that late first-half disappointment out of their systems – although two substitutions played a big part.
The Dutchman replaced Danny Graham and Cattermole with Steven Fletcher and Ola Toivonen, on for his debut following his loan arrival this week from French club Rennes.
Fletcher was involved straight away as Sunderland started the second half brightly, with his header having to be tipped over the crossbar by Guzan.
Shortly afterwards, Toivonen joined the party. His threaded through ball found Lens, who turned Ciaran Clark and fired his shot beyond Guzan.
Sinclair somehow squandered the chance of a second hat-trick in four days as he got on the end of Gueye’s driven cross but the ball struck his body just a couple of yards from goal and ricocheted into the grateful hands of Pantilimon.
Villa thought they had a penalty 10 minutes from time when substitute Carles Gil went down under a challenge from Younes Kaboul but the referee booked the Villa man for simulation.
Pantilimon produced a good save to deny Ashley Westwood and then kept out a Gestede header as the hosts searched for a winner but Sunderland held on to their point.